Dempsey and Makepeace

I used to watch D&M here in the US in 1985. It was broadcast on the local NBC affiliate after "Saturday Night Live" and was on for about a year. I stumbled upon it by accident and quickly became a fan. I liked the lead actors (Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber, who are married in real life) and the premise of the show (NYC cop who is set up by his partner is sent to work in London on some kind of exchange program for his own safety). The location shots were also terrific and really added to the plot. I really miss it, as I haven't seen any cop show quite like it ever again. I have some VHS tapes of the show. I read some comments about a DVD release, which would be great. I'd love to watch all the episodes over again. I can't believe it's been more than 20 years since I first watched it! Check it out if you get a chance. Highly recommended. I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

This little 80's-era cop series was elevated by the performance and (obvious) skillful additional writing done by the cast. It was one of the earlier U.K. imports to be played on commercial TV for U.S. audiences (as opposed to public TV like PBS). Those that saw it loved the over-the-top action and smooth, seductive style of Michael Brandon's no-nonsense Brooklyn cop, Dempsey. His counterpart, Makepeace, is the Sloaney skirt who is annoyed by the brash New Yorker's style, but can't quite seem to hate him because he's not only witty, but has good police skills. The chemistry between the Bensonhurst Badboy and the Upper Crusty Lady Makepeace heats up as the seasons progress. The other critical ingredient to the success of this project was (Ray Smith) Gordon Spikings character who is consistently yelling and dropping the hammer on one person or another, as the commander of the unit. Lots of gunplay, explosions, and stunts. Character-wise, it has a flavor not wholly unlike Scarecrow and Mrs. King, which is of a similar vintage. Ironically, the Brits espouse an anti-gun sensibility and create a cop character that fires his .357 revolver at absolutely EVERYTHING - even if he doesn't have a clean shot. As of 2010, there is no region 1 (USA) DVD commercially available from the series. An unfortunate oversight on the part of the owners, since even a small fan base here in the U.S. is as big as a large fan base in another country. They are overlooking the opportunity to re-purpose this content.

Dempsey & Makepeace.

This series can be considered to be the original Remington Steele. Dempsey & Makepeace had great chemistry, Makepeace with the brains and Dempsey with the mouth. If you are not too much into serious police procedures and details, you will enjoy this show. Most of the shooting (both with camera and guns) takes place on location in London city.

Glynis Barber, as Sgt. Harry Makepeace, was extremely beautiful, always smartly dressed and from an aristocratic background while Michael Brandon, as Lt. James Dempsey, was handsome and witty with his accent and the love for his weapon, sent over from NYPD on an exchange.

I used to love this show as a kid and recently I've been re-watching some of it and I still think it's as good as I used to.

Micheal Brandon and Glynis Barber are great as James Dempsey and Harry Makepeace. The chemistry is amazing and because it was real all the more interesting to watch.

It's a shame that they only made 3 seasons - although its great to re-watch them all again.

My only complaint is that they never got together romatically and I think that they should have.

...This series wasn't so bad. I used to hate it, when shown during the mid '80s. But seeing it again on one of the UK satellite channels at the moment, I realise how good they were. Almost comparable to The Professionals, in style and content, as that show also had two leads ((both male) who antagonised one another. I especially like Dempsey's sexist bit of banter towards Makepeace. Spikings makes for a good Cowley too.

I remember one episode title (Makepeace, Not War) very clearly.